On Wednesday, Joe Biden signed into regulation a invoice that would result in TikTok being banned within the U.S. if ByteDance, the app’s Chinese language-owned mother or father firm, doesn’t promote it inside a 12 months. Lawmakers are more and more frightened that the app may pose nationwide safety considerations to the U.S. if the Chinese language authorities have been to entry knowledge collected by the app.
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, spoke in entrance of Congress in January of this 12 months, defending the platform’s place. “We now have not been requested for any knowledge by the Chinese language authorities and we have now by no means supplied,” he testified.
However, regardless of the CEO’s assurances, many governments all over the world stay unconvinced, and have instituted their very own TikTok bans and restrictions.
Listed here are all of the nations which have banned or partially banned the app:
Afghanistan
The Taliban authorities banned TikTok in April 2022, saying that the appliance was “deceptive youths.”
Armenia
Armenia reportedly quickly blocked TikTok for a number of days throughout border clashes with Azerbaijan in September 2022.
Australia
TikTok was banned from Australian authorities gadgets in April 2023, however continues to be allowed on gadgets belonging to most of the people.
Austria
Austria has banned TikTok from all authorities worker gadgets as of Might 2023.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan blocked TikTok quickly throughout border clashes with Armenia in September 2022. The applying was blocked once more one 12 months later as a consequence of “anti-terrorist measures” in keeping with Armenian native media. It was restored once more on October 1, 2023.
Bangladesh
In August 2021, a Bangladeshi courtroom ordered the federal government to take away TikTok and several other different apps from the nation’s app retailer as a way to “save youngsters and adolescents from ethical and social degradation.” The applying was later allowed to return, offering its content material moderation was in keeping with Bangladesh’s cultural sensibilities.
Belgium
In March 2024, the Belgian authorities introduced that it was banning the app from all authorities gadgets. “The protection of our data should prevail,” mentioned Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. TikTok continues to be obtainable on non-government affiliated gadgets.
Canada
Canada banned TikTok from all government-issued cellular gadgets in February 2023. “I think that as the federal government takes the numerous step of telling all federal workers that they’ll now not use TikTok on their work telephones, many Canadians from enterprise to personal people will mirror on the safety of their very own knowledge and maybe make decisions,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned when the ban was introduced.
China
China itself doesn’t allow the worldwide model of TikTok for use on the mainland. As an alternative, customers should obtain Douyin, the Chinese language model of TikTok which is topic to censorship from the Chinese language Communist Social gathering.
Denmark
Denmark’s Ministry of Protection banned the app from its workers’ work telephones in March 2023. The nation’s primary public service broadcaster additionally instituted particular protocols that imply journalists want particular approval as a way to use the app for reporting functions following a warning from Denmark’s Heart for Cybersecurity.
Estonia
TikTok was banned from the work telephones of state officers in Estonia in March 2023.
European Union
The three primary establishments that make up the E.U.–the European Parliament, European Fee and the E.U. Council–have all banned TikTok from workers’ work telephones. Staff are additionally suggested to take away the app from their private gadgets.
France
France has banned a number of social media utilitys from authorities workers’ telephones together with Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok as of March 2023.
India
India is certainly one of a handful of nations that has fully banned TikTok, together with on residents’ private gadgets. The ban was applied in July 2020 after a border conflict between China and India left 20 Indian troopers lifeless. The 2 nations have had an ongoing centuries over their border that often turns violent. Within the aftermath of the 2020 border conflict, some Indians referred to as for a boycott of Chinese language items, and India’s data know-how ministry put out a press release claiming that sure cellular purposes have been “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting customers’ knowledge.” After the ban, many creators migrated to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
Indonesia
Indonesia banned TikTok Store, a portion of the appliance that enables creators to promote merchandise to their audiences, in October 2023 for violating the nation’s e–commerce legal guidelines.
Iran
The Islamic Republic bans TikTok together with different internationally widespread social media platforms together with X and Fb.
Eire
TikTok was banned from authorities gadgets in Eire in April 2023.
Jordan
TikTok has been banned within the Kingdom of Jordan since December 2022, after a police officer was killed throughout a protest and movies of the occasion flooded social media.
Kyrgyzstan
The small, previously Soviet nation banned Tiktok in August 2023, arguing that the appliance was dangerous to the event of youngsters.
Latvia
The app is prohibited on work telephones in Latvia’s International Ministry as of March 2023.
Malta
Tiktok is blocked from government-provided cell telephones together with all different non-government purposes in Malta.
The Netherlands
The Dutch authorities banned the app from workers’ work telephones in March 2023. The connection between Amsterdam and Beijing has soured within the final 12 months after a Dutch intelligence company referred to as China “the largest risk to the Dutch financial safety,” per Bloomberg.
Nepal
Nepal banned TikTok for all its residents in November 2023, saying the app was “detrimental to social concord.”
New Zealand
Lawmakers and parliament workers in New Zealand have been prohibited from having TikTok on their work telephones as of March 2024. Nevertheless, exceptions will be made if a lawmaker believes TikTok is critical for his or her democratic duties, per the AP. The ban doesn’t apply to workers in different branches of the federal government.
North Korea
North Korea restricts most of its residents from accessing the web. Just a few web sites and apps are permitted for the privileged elite to go to, however TikTok shouldn’t be amongst them.
Norway
The Norwegian parliament banned TikTok from workers’ work gadgets in March 2023. Municipal workers within the cities of Oslo and Bergen have additionally been inspired to take away the app from their gadgets. “Norwegian intelligence companies single out Russia and China as the primary danger elements for Norway’s safety pursuits,” mentioned Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl in a press release, per EuroNews.
Pakistan
Pakistan has banned TikTok quickly a minimum of 4 instances. Nevertheless, the appliance was restored in November 2021, and has reportedly been obtainable within the nation since then.
Russia
At the moment, Russians are restricted by way of what they’ll view on TikTok, and viewers primarily solely see movies made by Russian creators. This month, it has been reported that the Russian authorities intends to ban TikTok as a way to encourage residents to make use of home social media platforms, as a substitute.
Senegal
Senegal instituted a complete ban of the appliance in August after an opposition candidate was accused of utilizing the platform to unfold “hateful and subversive messages.” The federal government of Senegal has refused to reinstate the app until a mechanism is developed that enables the federal government to take away particular accounts.
Somalia
In August 2023, the Somali authorities introduced that it was banning TikTok, Telegram, and the net betting web site 1XBet. Minister of Communications Jama Hassan Khalif mentioned that the apps have been used for harmful propaganda. “The Minister of Communications orders web corporations to cease the aforementioned purposes, which terrorists and immoral teams use to unfold fixed horrific photos and misinformation to the general public,” the minister mentioned in a press release, per Reuters.
Taiwan
Taiwan banned all authorities gadgets from utilizing Chinese language-made software program, together with TikTok, in December 2022 after a warning from the FBI.
United Kingdom
In March 2023, the U.Okay. banned all authorities workers from utilizing TikTok on authorities supplied cellular gadgets. “Given the actual danger round authorities gadgets, which can comprise delicate data, it’s each prudent and proportionate to limit using sure apps, notably in terms of apps the place a considerable amount of knowledge will be saved and accessed,” Cupboard Workplace minister Oliver Dowden informed parliament.
United States
Congress and the armed forces have banned TikTok from all of their workers’ gadgets. Roughly half of all states ban the app on state-owned gadgets, and the Federal authorities equally banned the app from workers’ gadgets in March 2023.
Uzbekistan
TikTok has been unavailable in Uzbekistan since July 2021, after the authorities mentioned the app was not compliant with the nation’s private knowledge safety legal guidelines.